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I recently read an article about “fatbergs” in our sewers and I’m afraid I might have been part of the problem. I’m wondering what is the best way to dispose of cooking oil?
—Concerned Cook, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Dear Concerned Cook,
The bacon grease jar is a mainstay in my kitchen. I’ve long been a faithful adherent to the practice of collecting oil for fear of blockages in our own plumbing, though I don’t seem to be as concerned about blockages in my arteries. But imagine the shock I felt when I heard that this greasy waste can grow into something nightmarish when it reaches the sewer systems (or our septic systems!). Even the name makes me shiver — fatberg. Eek.
For those who are not yet privy to the horrors of the fatberg, picture a sewer-dwelling iceberg made of oil and grease, globbed together with other items that shouldn’t have been flushed down the toilet. And they are huge! Some stretch beyond 800 feet. Fatbergs can obstruct the sewer system and cost cities millions of dollars to remove. While we sleep soundly above, these bergy behemoths have been wreaking havoc on sewers around the world.
In the interest of supersizing my jar-sized contribution to battling these bergs, I sought out Captain FOG (the acronym stands for fats, oils and grease), to guide us through the p’s and q’s of oil disposal.
What does our fatberg superhero have to say? Keep reading.
